I thought this would be a fun bottle to try. I love both bubblies and wines from France’s Alsace region, which is located right on the border with Germany. To add a feather in the cap, this wine was also #71 on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 wines of 2018. They rated it 91 points. Costco is selling this wine for $19.99, which is fair as retail is $25 but I found it online for $17-18 so it would be nice to see it land at Costco for around $15.  The big question here for fans of bubblies like this is how does this wine compare to the Kirkland Signature Champagne which is the exact same price at Costco (and a favorite of ours)? Let’s get into this wine first.  The… [Read More...]

Another screaming buy for under $10, I was excited to dig into this wine. This is another one of those wines that I know I’ve read about somewhere, and made a mental note to remember it, so I would try it sometime. And that time is now. At $7.99 it’s a bargain; that’s off of the retail price around $15, and you can still find it online hovering around Costco’s price. But it doesn’t matter that Costco’s not bringing it in at a little more of a competitive price. This is a solid bottle for $8, and that’s hard to find for a Cabernet. Medium purple … [Read More...]

I can’t remember where exactly, but I’ve heard this Black Tears Malbec from Tapiz discussed before and was always curious about it. I believe it might have be featured on some older podcasts I listened to, but can’t remember for sure. This is probably the most expensive bottle of Malbec I’ve bought, maybe ever. Costco’s price was $38.99, which is well below the retail of around $50 which is what I saw this bottle going for most everywhere else I looked. I knew I was getting a good price on it, but what I wanted to find out is … [Read More...]

So happy to see this bottle back in stock at Costco in the new ’17 vintage.  The ’15 vintage was really amazing for only $12.99 and I gave it 89 points last year. The ’16 vintage scored huge among the critics so I’m bummed that one didn’t appear at my Costcos (Dunnuck 93; Wine Advocate 90-93; Suckling 92; Wine Spectator 90 points). The bottle just seems to pull down 90 points ratings like no other $13 bottle I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder that this bottle makes frequent appearances on a number of “Best of” and “Best Value” lists. And the wine really is that good, especially for those who like the big, dark Cabernets of Washington State. The … [Read More...]

The Kirkland Oakville Cabernet is always a bottle we look forward to trying every year.  We’re coming right off the heels of reviewing the latest vintage of the Kirkland Rutherford Cabernet which is produced just up the road, and Erin went 89 points on that wine. Last year, I went 91 points for the Oakville Cab and noted that it was probably one of the best vintages of the wine that I had tasted. And this 2016 vintage is right there and another example of why it is so much fun buying wine at Costco. Most Oakville Cabernet will run you $30-$40 and way… [Read More...]

I love the wines of Bordeaux, particularly those on the left bank and increasingly more the area south of the city of Bordeaux, Pessac Leognan. In fact, Pessac might be one of the best places to go among the top Bordeaux regions if you’re looking for the biggest bang for the buck. Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte is situated in an ideal location, not far from other top Pessac estates like Chateau Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, and the famed Haut-Brion. One thing to note about Bordeaux wines is that the estates will often produce second or third wines, in addition to their premier estate… [Read More...]

This is an absolute screaming buy if you’re able to find it at your Costco. We posted about the big bottles arriving in Nov for the holidays. At that time, this bottle was priced at $100. Today it can be had for half that. The price on the standard size Mondavi Oakville at Wine.com is $52, and the critics loved this wine, giving it 90+ points across the board. I was a huge fan of ’12 and ’13 Napa Cabs, and am starting to really enjoy the ’14s, which will also show a lot of potential down the line after a few more years. In fact, scoring an Oakville Cab like this in the big bottle is perfect for the cellar (less air/wine… [Read More...]

Chateau Palmer in the Margaux region of Bordeaux produces stunning wines, and this is the most affordable jumping off point into their wines that you’re going to find. The Alter Ego is priced at $59.99 at Costco, which is about $5 less than most online outlets, and $15 less than I saw it at Total Wine. And although it’s not cheap, it really is worth the splurge; I found it to be gorgeous all around, and even though it’s rather young, many of the ’14 Bordeaux are drinking pretty good right now, this one being a case in point. The Alter Ego is a left bank wine, but the blend is right bank Merlot based coming in at 52% Merlot, 32% Cabernet… [Read More...]

Clos du Val is a classic Napa producer and this 2014 bottle is just signature, high quality Napa wine at a very special Costco price. But be ready to buy it if you see it, as the promo price is only good through the end of the year. As you can see Costco’s standard price of $42.99 is in itself pretty good for this bottle, especially considering Total Wine and Wine.com both sell it for $50. Now Costco’s bringing it down to $34.99, which is likely going to be hard to beat almost anywhere. It’s still not an inexpensive bottle, but this time of the year, when you’re looking for something… [Read More...]

When browsing the wine aisles at Costco, you have to keep an eye out for wines like this Casa E di Mirafiore Barolo that are sometimes easy to miss alongside the Chianti and Brunello bottles they are frequently placed next to. Costco’s price was $28.99, which is fantastic for any Barolo, and even better for a tasty one like this.  Bounce over to Wine.com and you can see this wine would go for $38. It’s also worth noting the high scores for this wine across the board, highlighted by a 96 point rating from Decanter.  Indeed, once I got into this one, it really is a beautiful wine at a price that’s hard to… [Read More...]

Echo is the second bottle from Chateau Lynch-Bages, a Pauillac property that I’ve always been a big fan of, particularly their estate bottles, red and white, that are absolutely spectacular. This is a good way to get a foot in the door though for a fraction of the price of the winery’s top bottles.  Costco’s price was $36.99 which is really outstanding for this bottle. Searching online, I’m finding it everywhere from $45-$60.  The blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. When I’m looking to save a buck on good Bordeaux, … [Read More...]